On this day in 1912, the Battle of Elli, fought between Greece and the Ottoman Empire, takes place – The largest naval battle of the Balkan Wars that resulted in Greek naval dominance
On this day in 1912, the Battle of Elli, fought between Greece and the Ottoman Empire, takes place – The largest naval battle of the Balkan Wars that resulted in Greek naval dominance
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>Greek naval dominance
For how many weeks?
The Greek victory is often attributed to the highly skilled Greek Admiral [Pavlos Kountouriotis](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pavlos_Kountouriotis) and the Greek acquisition of Pisa-class armored cruiser [“Georgios Averof”](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greek_cruiser_Georgios_Averof). For more on this very important Greek weapon, [here](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=obAsxBh_L3s) is a nicely presented video.
The Greek fleet obliterated the Ottoman fleet and managed to capture the islands of Imbros, Tenedos, Lemnos, Samos, Chios, Lesbos, Mount Athos, Thasos and Samothrace.
After the capture of Tenedos, Greek Admiral Kountouriotis messages his Ottoman counterpart: *”We have captured Tenedos. We await the exit of your fleet. If you need coal, I can supply you.”*
What’s important to note is that this victory ousted the Ottoman fleet off the Dardanelles and blocked any Ottoman passage from the sea, blocking any reinforcement of the Ottomans in Macedonia and Thrace via the sea. This helped secure Ottoman defeat on land.
“the Battle of Elli, fought between Greece and the Ottoman Empire” … “that resulted in Greek naval dominance”
aka, Return of the Jedi 😉
I come from a family with a history in the Greek Navy. My family was involved in the attack on the Ottoman ironclad Feth-i Bülend, around the same time as the Battle of Elli took place.
All family accounts note that it was Ottoman arrogance that led to their demise. They underestimated the Greek naval and war tradition. They thought that Greece was small and poor and that was enough for Greece to lose against the, as they perceived it, mighty and big Empire.
Greek navy going pew pew, Ottomans go bulb bulb
Casualties:
* Greek: 1 killed
* Turkish: 18 killed
Heck, bar fights are more lethal than this, was it a moustache twirling contest?
But kudo to both sides for deciding such a critical battle with so little human loss!
Did they re-discover Greek fire??
What a war 🤠
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Don’t worry once those Brits deliver those dreadnoughts the Ottomans will rule the seas
ΒΑΣΕΔ PAVLOS KOUNTOURIOTIS
>that resulted in Greek naval dominance
Only one navy was dominant in the Eastern Mediterranean in 1912 and it wasn’t the Greek one
You’re not going to like who it was
You love to see it 🇬🇷